Mrs. Mike

Benedict & Nancy Freedman

In 1907, 16-year-old Kathy O'Fallen is sent from Boston into Alberta, Canada, to treat her pleursy and weak lungs. The clear, cold air does wonders for her. But Sergeant Michael Flannigan does more for her. Soon she and the man from the Royal Mounted Police are married. Instead of returning to Boston, Kathy is taken to the far north where Mike's patrol region is located.

They have to travel there by dog sled while it is still frozen winter and there is ice to travel on. Once the thaw starts, it is impossible to get in or out of the region. Even mail doesn't come all summer. The rapids in the river are treacherous. The area is deep woods. Few white people live there - most are the Indians who have always lived in the region.

Kathy learns to settle in. She never wears skirts, always trousers. The wild animals tend to avoid humans unless provoked. Mike shows her the majesty of nature all around them. Life is hard but she has Mike and is making friends.

This novel, Mrs. Mike, is based on Kathy Flannigan's real life. After her husband died in the early 1930's, she moved to California. There, the Freedmans heard her story and told it for the rest of us.

It is a story of vivid pictures of the glory and tragedy of the frozen areas of North America. The area was still wilderness without trains, medicine, telephones, or electricity. Mrs. Mike was written in the late 1940's, so the pictures drawn are not too gory or objectionable. Instead, it is the narrator's (Kathy) emotions and thoughts that bring the book to life.

Mrs. Mike is not one of those "hit you in the face" great books. Instead, it's quiet and stays with you. I first read it almost 40 years ago and it has stayed with me. I have run across other readers who have said the same. Its popularity has been through word of mouth and recommendations.

For a slice of history and a good tale, I also recommend this book.